Dispenser with cleaning means



Feb. 14, 1967 G. R. SEVERANCE ETAL DISPENSER WITH CLEANING MEANS 2 Sheets$heet 2 Filed June 8, 1964 I INVENTOR. Q jz l/eflazzae W I glezzfi 62/496214 United States Patent Gflice 3,303,675 Patented Feb. 14, 1967 3,303,675 DISYENSER WITH ILEANING MEANS Glen R. Severance, Benton Harbor, and Keith I). Salisbury, St. Joseph, Mich, assiguors to Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed June 8, 1964, Ser. No. 373,167 9 Claims. (CI. 68-17) The present invention relates to a dispenser apparatus and more particularly to a self-cleaning additive dispenser especially suited to a home appliance such as a washing machine. The dispenser of the present invention is adapted for connection into the hydraulic circuitry of the appliance and incorporates means effective to both thoroughly admix additive into the laundry liquid of the appliance and to thoroughly clean the dispenser.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a dispenser enclosure for receiving a supply of additive material such as a supply of particulate material has housed therein a freely disposed agitating means. Thus,

if a stream of liquid is directed, into the enclosure, the agitating means will act to break up any lumps or accumulations thereby assisting in admixing the mixture in the stream and operating to improve the self-cleaning action of the dispenser.

In one form of the invention, the freely disposed agitating means constitutes a paddle wheel and the enclosure is constructed to direct the stream against the paddle wheel generally tangentially, thereby rotatably driving the paddle wheel for agitation purposes.

It is an object of this invention to provide a dispenser located with respect to an appliance so that it will not interfere with loading and unloading operations and which will be simple in design, economical in manufacture and reliable in operation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an additive dispenser in a home appliance which utilizes a freely disposed agitating means which thoroughly admixes the additive in a carrier and which is self-cleaning.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser for a laundry appliance which is easily connected into the hydraulic circuitry of the appliance and which utilizes the stream of laundry liquid flowing through the circuitry to operate the self-cleaning feature of the dispenser.

Many other features, advantages and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description which follows and the accompanying sheets of drawings, in which preferred structural embodiments incorporating the principles of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example only.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a laundry machine incorporating a dispenser constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention with part of the machine shown in section to illustrate the relative disposition of parts;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front view of the machine illustrated in FIGURE 1 with parts removed for clarity;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the additive dispenser of the invention with part of the dispenser shown in section;

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the dispenser taken substantially along lines IV-IV of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is an isometric piew of the mixer-cleaner or paddle member of the dispenser.

As shown in the drawings:

Although the principles of the present invention are of utility in any laundering or cleaning apparatus, a

particularly useful application is made to domestic laundry equipment and an illustrative embodiment herein shown consists of an automatic washing machine indicated generally at reference numeral 10 in FIGURE 1, Which may provide for laundering a batch of clothes through a series of steps including automatic washing, rinsing and extracting periods of a programmed cycle.

A cabinet 11 encloses the machine and housed within the cabinet is a tube 12 forming a treatment zone adapted to confine a quantity of water or laundry liquid therein. Rotatably journalled within the tub is a foraminous receptacle or wash basket 13 with tumbling bafiles 14 adapted to carry clothes or other material to be laundered. The basket 13 rotates on a horizontal axis which is perpendicular to a front panel 16 of the cabinet 11.

For the purpose of loading and unloading the machine the front panel 16 is provided with a closure door 17 which is hingedly mounted on the cabinet and which allows access to the inside of the basket 13. Hydraulic circuitry is provided to admit hot and cold water to the treatment zone and to recirculate and discharge laundry liquid. This circuitry comprises hot and cold inlet pipes 18 and 19, respectively, which connect to a source of hot and cold water. The inlet pipes 18 and 19 communicate with a temperature control valve 20 to which connects a discharge nozzle 21 for directing the flow of water into the tub or treatment zone 12.

The lowermost portion of the tub 12 is shaped to form a sump S having an outlet 22 opening into a conduit 23 which is connected to the suction side of a pump 24. The discharge side of the pump is connected to a discharge pipe 26 leading to a two-way valve 27 which can be positioned to open to a drain pipe 28 or a recirculating conduit 29. The conduit 29 has a tee at 30 to which is connected a downwardly extending branch conduit 31 connected to a nozzle at 32 and an upwardly extending branch pipe 33. The nozzle 32 is positioned to project a continuous stream of laundry liquid into the interior of the drum or receptacle 13, thereby to wet the materials being conditioned therein as part of the washing or rinsing operation.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention a self-cleaning laundering additive dispenser 34 is mounted within the cabinet 11 under a top panel 36. The upwardly extending branch pipe 33 connects to an inlet 37 of the dispenser 34 and an outlet 38 of the dispenser connects to a conduit 39. A nozzle 40 connects to an opposite end of the conduit 39 and communicates with the tub 12 at an uppermost portion thereof.

An access door 41 is hingedly mounted on the top panel 36 and is arranged in registry with the dispenser 34, thereby providing an access opening for depositing laundering additive within the dispenser 34.

It will be understood that the laundry machine may be provided with a pre-settable sequential controller 42 for the automatic operation of the machine through a series of Washing, rinsing and extracting periods of a programmed cycle, or in the event the machine is a combination washer-dryer, through an additional drying period.

Material to be laundered, such as clothing is loaded into the basket 13 through the access door 17 and a charge of laundry additive is placed within the dispenser 34 through the access door 41. The sequential controller then may be preset for selection of a desired program.

During the selected cycle, hot and cold water will be charged into the machine through the temperature control valve 20 and into the tub or treatment zone 12 via the nozzle 21. The pump 24 serves to draw water from the sump S to the two-way valve 27.

At the beginning of a wash cycle, the two-way valve 27 will be positioned to close the drain conduit 28 and all of the laundry liquid will thereby pass into the conduit 29 to the T 30. The flow of liquid will divide at the T 39, a portion being circulated through the conduit 31 to the nozzle 32. The remainder will flowinto the upwardly extending branch conduit 33 and will enter the dispenser 34 at the inlet 37. The liq id entering the dispenser at 37 becomes admixed with the laundry additive previously placed within the dispenser, and the mixture of Water and additive will then flow from the dispenser at the outlet 38, through conduit 39 to be discharged into the tub 12 through the nozzle 40.

Referring to FIGURES 3-5, the dispenser 34 is more particularly characterized as comprising a dispenser housing or body 43 having an upstanding cylindrically shaped side wall 44- and a bottom wall 46. a

The inlet 37 and the outlet'38 comprise,'respectively, spaced parallel tubularly-shaped fitting connectors 43 and 49 extending away from the body 43 and adapted to receive conduits 33 and 39 in connected relation.

It will be noted particularly'in FIGURE 3 that the inlet 37 is situated at a lowermost portion'of the body 43 and the outlet 38 is situated at an uppermost portion of the body. In addition, referring particularly to FIGURE 4, the inlet and the outlet both have inner Walls indicated 7 respectively at reference numerals 50 and 51 which extend tangentially from an inner wall 52 of the body 43.

The upper end of the body 43 is closed with a removable cap 53 which comprises a top member 54, the outer diameter of which is equal to the outer diameter of the wall 44, and a closure or sealing member 56 which depends downwardly from the top 54 into the dispenser body 43 and the outer diameter of which is approximately equal to the diameter of the inner surface 52 of the Wall 44.

In order to pressurize the dispenser 34, a circumferentially extending groove 57 is formed in, the-outer periphery of the closure member 56 to receive a gasketing member such as an O ring 58 for providing a water-tight seal.

The cap 53 is in registry with the access door 41 (FIG- URES 1 and 2) and can be easily and quickly removed to deposit a charge of laundering additive into the interior of the dispenser 34.

Housed within the dispenser body 43 is a freely disposed agitating means 59 which may take the form of a mixer or paddle member. In the embodiment illustrated, the agitating means 59 comprises a plurality of vertically upstanding angularly spaced paddles as at 60-63. The paddles are arranged to extend substantially radially with respect to the axis of the dispenser body 43 and are joined at the radially-innermost ends thereof as at a hub 64 which provides a rotational axis for the paddles.

Each of the paddles 60-63 comprises a top wall 66, a bottom wall 67, a pair of spaced parallel side walls 68 and 69 and an end wall 70, all of which generally serve as paddle surfaces disposed in driving relation to the axis in the illustrated embodiment of the invention.

The mixer or paddle member 59 may be formed of a single piece of light-weight material, and plastic is well suited for this purpose. The vertical dimension of the paddle member, that is, the distance between top and bottom-walls 66 and 67 of the paddles, is somewhat less than the vertical distance'between a bottom wall 71 of the cap 53 and an inner wall 72 of the dispenser body bottom wall 47.

The paddle member 59 is additionally dimensioned such that if the longitudinal axis thereof is coaxially arranged with respect to the axis of the dispenser body 43, the end Walls 70 of the respective paddles 60-63 are situated in spaced relation with respect to the inner surface 52 of the dispenser body wall 44.

. It will be noted that the paddle member 59 is freely disposed and is not in any manner fixed to the dispenser body 44- but instead freely floats within the interior thereof. The dimensions of the paddle member 59 provide for a certain degree of lateral and longitudinal movement within the dispenser and it will be apparent that the top and bottom walls as Well as the end walls of the respective paddles are free to move into abutting engagement with the inner surface 52 of the dispenser body Wall 44.

In operation, a stream of laundry liquid is admitted into the interior of the dispenser through the inlet 37 and, due to the tangential relation between the inlet 37 and the inner surface 52 of the dispenser body, such stream will swirl about the interior of the dispenser to be described at the uppermost end of the dispenser through the outlet 38. The inlet 37 is located at the bottom of the dispenser body 44 in order that the initial flow of liquid will remove the additive from the inlet opening 37 thus mixing with the powdered laundry additive forming a washing solution that is discharged through the outlet 38 into thetub 12. The'swirling of the laundry liquid is effective to impart rotary motion to the baffle member 59, and since the bathe member freely floats within the dispenser body, the turbulence of the laundry liquid tends to move the paddle member upwardly and downwardly as well as laterally back and forth to engage the inner surface 52 of the body wall 44, as well as the inner surface 72 of the bottom wall 47 and the bottom surface 71 of the cap 53. At the completion of the washing cycle, the pump 24 is deenergized allowing the liquid remaining in the dispenser to drain through the inlet 37 into the bottom of the sump S, thus leaving an empty dispenser ready to be filled for a subsequent washing cycle.

Thus, not only do the paddles 69-63 assist in thoroughly admixing the additive charge and the laundry liquid by breaking up lumps and agglomerated masses of aggregate, but the abutting engagement of the paddle member with the various inner surfaces of the dispenser serve to wipe such surfaces thereby rendering the dispenser selfcleaning.

It will be appreciated that other configurations of the paddle member and other variously disposed paddlesurfaces could be effectively utilized but preferably any such paddle member would be freely disposed to float within the dispenser, thereby providing for the necessary agitation for thorough admixing of the additive as well as providing for the wiping action of the various surfaces of the paddle member on the interior surfaces of the dispenser.

Although minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that we wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably come Within the scope of my contribution to the art.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A dispenser comprising,

a housing forming an enclosure being an access opening for loading a supply of particulate material therein,

said housing having an inlet and an outlet formed therein through which a stream of carrier fluid may be directed, and

freely disposed agitating means in said enclosure responsive to the flow of fluid therethrough to admix the material with the stream and to Wipe the adjoining interior surfaces of said enclosure said agitating means comprising a paddle wheel having a hub disposed on a rotational axis and including radially outwardly extending paddles connected to said hub to rotatably drive said paddle wheel relative to said enclosure.

2. A dispenser as defined in claim 1 wherein said enclosure comprises a generally cylindrical inner wall and said inlet and outlet are generally tangentially disposed relative to said paddle wheel and wherein said paddles are abuttable with the inner. wall of said enclosure in order to wipe and clean the inner wall.

3. Self-cleaning dispenser apparatus for a washing machine comprising,

a tub for receiving Washing fluid and fabrics to be cleaned therein,

a pump,

a hydraulic circuit comprising first conduit means communicating said tub with the inlet of said pump and second conduit means communicating the outlet of said pump with said tub,

an additive dispenser connected in said second conduit means and comprising a hollow body member having afiuid inlet and an outlet,

a paddle member movably housed in free floating relation within said dispenser,

an additive loading opening in said dispenser, and closure means for sealing said opening,

said pump means providing fluid under pressure to said dispenser to admix with the additive in said dispenser and to impart motion to said paddle member to further aid in the admixing of the additive and to provide a thorough cleaning action for the dispenser.

4. Self-cleaning dispenser apparatus for a washing ma chine comprising,

a tub for receiving washing fluid and fabrics to be cleaned therein,

a pump,

a hydraulic circuit comprising first conduit means communicating said tub with the inlet of said pump and second conduit means communicating the outlet of said pump with said tub,

an additive dispenser connected in said second conuit means and comprising a generally cylindrical hollow body member including an inner wall and having a fluid inlet arranged to discharge incoming fluid generally tangentially to the inner wall of said dispenser and having an outlet,

a paddle member movably housed within said dispenser in free floating relation therewith,

an additive loading opening in said dispenser, and

closure means for sealing said opening,

said pump means providing fluid under pressure to said dispenser to admix with the additive in said dispenser and to impart motion to said paddle member to further aid in the admixing of the additive and to abut the inner wall of said dispenser in order to wipe and clean the interior of said dispenser.

5. Self-cleaning dispenser apparatus for a washing machine comprising,

a tub for receiving washing fluid and fabrics to be cleaned therein,

a p mp,

a hydraulic circuit comprising first circuit means communicating said tub with the inlet of said pump and second conduit means communicating the outlet of said pump with said tub,

an additive dispenser connected in said second conduit means and comprising a generally cylindrical hollow body member including an inner wall and having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet,

a paddle member having a plurality of individual paddle surfaces mounted within said dispenser for relative rotation therewith,

an additive loading opening in said dispenser, and

closure means for sealing said opening,

said pump means providing fluid under pressure to said dispenser to admix with the additive in said dispenser and to impart motion to said paddle member to further aid in the admixing of the additive and to abut the inner wall of said dispenser to wipe and clean the interior of said dispenser.

6. Self-cleaning dispenser apparatus for a washing machine comprising,

a tub for receiving washing fluid and fabrics to be cleaner therein,

a p p i a hydraulic circuit comprising first conduit means communicating said tub with the inlet of said pump and second conduit means communicating the outlet of said pump with said tub,

an additive dispenser connected in said second conduit means and comprising a generally cylindrical hollow body member including an inner wall and having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet,

a paddle member mounted within said dispenser for relative rotation therewith and having an axis of rotation disposed such as to extend substantially parallel to the axis of said dispenser and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced paddle surfaces extending radially outwardly from the axis of said paddle member and abuttable with the inner wall of said dispenser in order to wipe and clean the interior of said dispenser,

an additive loading opening in said dispenser, and

closure means for sealing said opening,

said pump means providing fluid under pressure to said dispenser and to impart motion to said paddle member to further aid in the admixing of the additive and to provide a thorough cleaning action for the dispenser.

7. Self-cleaning dispenser apparatus for a washing machine comprising,

a tub for receiving washing fluid and fabrics to be cleaned therein,

a p p,

a hydraulic circuit comprising first conduit means communicating said tub with the inlet of said pump and second conduit means communicating the outlet of said pump with said tub,

an additive dispenser connected in said second conduit means and comprising a generally cylindrical hollow body member having a fluid inlet in the lower portion of said body member arranged to discharge incoming fluid generally tangentially to the inner wall of said dispenser and said body member having an outlet located in the upper portion therein,

a paddle member housed within said dispenser in free floating relation therewith and having a plurality of radially spaced paddle surfaces extending radially outwardly from the axis of said paddle member,

an additive loading opening in said dispenser, and

closure means for sealing said opening,

said pump means providing fluid under pressure to said dispenser to admix with the additive in said dispenser and to impart rotary motion to said paddle member to further aid in the admixing of the additive and to provide a thorough cleaning action for the dispenser.

8. Self-cleaning dispenser apparatus for a washing machine comprising,

a tub for receiving washing fluid and fabrics to be cleaned therein,

a P p,

a hydraulic circuit comprising first conduit means communicating said tub with the inlet of said pump and second conduit means communicating the outlet of said pump with said tub,

an additive dispenser connected in said second conduit means and comprising a generally cylindrical hollow body member including an inner wall and having a fluid inlet aranged to discharge incoming fluid generally tangentially to the inner wall of said dispenser and having an outlet,

a paddle member situated within said dispenser body member and having an axis disposed such as to extend substantially parallel to the axis of said dispenser and having a plurality of radially spaced paddle surfaces extending radial-ly outwardly from the axis of said paddle member and extending in an axial direc- 7. tion substantially the entire longitudinal length of said body member,

said paddle member being dimensioned and arranged to freely float and rotate within said body member, 7 an additive loading opening in said dispenser, and closure means for sealing said opening,

said pump means providing fluid under pressure to said dispenser to admix With the additive in said dispenser and to impart rotary motion to said paddle member to further aid in the admixing of the additive and to provide a thorough cleaning action for the dispenser.

9. The self-cleaning dispenser of claim 8 in which said outlet is also arranged tangentially to the inner Wall of said dispenser body member and is disposed vertically above said fluid inlet.

References (Jited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1870 Osgood 68142 6/1875 Welkey 6829 8/ 1938 Alexopoulos.

2/1950 Bowling et al. 15510 3/1950 Gustafsson et al. 222193 9/1950 Woodson 68-17 X 6/1961 Nan 68-17 X 12/1962 Jennings 6817 9/1965 Butler et al. 68--17 X FOREIGN PATENTS 9/ 1959 Austria.

2/ 1961 France.

IRVING BUNEVICI-I, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DISPENSER COMPRISING, A HOUSING FORMING AN ENCLOSURE BEING AN ACCESS OPENING FOR LOADING A SUPPLY OF PARTICULATE MATERIAL THEREIN, SAID HOUSING HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET FORMED THEREIN THROUGH WHICH A STREAM OF CARRIER FLUID MAY BE DIRECTED, AND FREELY DISPOSED AGITATING MEANS IN SAID ENCLOSURE RESPONSIVE TO THE FLOW OF FLUID THERETHROUGH TO ADMIX THE MATERIAL WITH THE STREAM AND TO WIPE THE ADJOINING INTERIOR SURFACES OF SAID ENCLOSURE SAID AGITATING MEANS COMPRISING A PADDLE WHEEL HAVING A HUB DISPOSED ON A ROTATIONAL AXIS AND INCLUDING RADIALLY OUT WARDLY EXTENDING PADDLES CONNECTED TO SAID HUB TO ROTATABLY DRIVE SAID PADDLE WHEEL RELATIVE TO SAID ENCLOSURE. 